Killer B's Talent for Swordsmanship

After exchanging for the ninjutsu, the two of them came to the Ninja Academy's training ground to begin training.

Chiba Shun had many ninjutsu to practice, including quite a few he had obtained from Konoha.

For example, the B-rank ninjutsu he had already used: Underground Movement and Heartless Decapitation Technique.

Besides those two, there was another B-rank Earth Release technique.

Chiba Shun could also try practicing the other two A-rank Earth Release techniques. His chakra reserves had barely met the requirement.

Finally, he still had to continue learning Sakai Yushi's Four-Sword Style.

After obtaining Earth Release ninjutsu, Chiba Shun planned to shift his focus from swordsmanship to ninjutsu. His talent for swordsmanship did not seem as good as his talent for ninjutsu.

However, he still needed to master the Four-Sword Style. If someone got close, he could not be left without any means of fighting back.

Sakai Yushi had already begun developing the Five-Sword Style, and Chiba Shun needed to help him come up with ideas.

Sakai Yushi, meanwhile, began practicing the Lightning Release Body Flicker Technique. Training in this technique could potentially harm the body, so he had to be extremely careful.

It also required quite a few medicines, since Lightning Release stimulation could easily damage the body.

If the two of them had not become well-off lately, they would not have been able to afford the expense of this ninjutsu even if they had obtained it.

The next day, Chiba Shun once again told the Ninja Academy students about his trip to Konoha. He described the journey as an adventure into a den of demons.

It was as though he had been in danger every moment he spent in Konoha.

He had sparred with Konoha's prodigies of his generation, openly and secretly battled Konoha's great ninja clans, and outwitted Konoha's upper ranks. He had fought for the village's interests and forced Konoha to yield, abandoning its scheme to attack the Land of Lightning.

He was not worried that the children would disbelieve him.

After all, twenty-four people had gone to Konoha with him, but only two had returned safely.

With such a brutal casualty rate right before their eyes, no one thought Chiba Shun was exaggerating.

If anyone claimed at that moment that Chiba Shun had spent every day eating and drinking in Konoha, they would surely get spat on.

In the end, Chiba Shun praised all twenty-four children in front of everyone.

Especially the final two survivors.

He invited the boy and girl to stand before the crowd, then gave each of them fifty thousand ryo in mission rewards before everyone.

In a deep voice, he said, "Ayana, Shosuke, because you are still young and are not yet ninjas, the village has not officially recorded your mission."

"But the village will not forget you!"

"These fifty thousand ryo are the village's recognition of your heroic deeds!"

"You are inheritors of the Will of Lightning!"

"Lord Raikage said that all Ninja Academy students must learn from you!"

The two children were still somewhat dazed. They seemed not to have done anything, so how had they become heroes?

They had even received an enormous reward they had never dared imagine!

Still, seeing so many children their age looking at them with admiration, both of them could not help straightening their backs.

Chiba Shun looked at them and smiled.

He could sense that their auras seemed to have changed somewhat.

For ninjas, that meant they had initially found their own ninja way.

Though it was not yet very clear, this step was extremely important and would greatly benefit their future growth.

Ninjas were like that. Sometimes they grew during battle, and sometimes after experiencing life and death.

Each instance of growth brought a slight increase in chakra level.

After enough of them, a qualitative transformation could be achieved.

The two children's chakra had undergone two subtle increases, but it had not yet reached a qualitative transformation.

That day, as usual, Chiba Shun first made a round of the Ninja Academy before training.

However, when he neared a certain training ground, he heard a strange sound.

He quickly headed toward that training ground.

Yet as he approached, he vaguely sensed someone watching.

Thanks to his sensory ninjutsu, Chiba Shun was sensitive to this sort of observation that was not deliberately concealed and even seemed faintly warning in nature.

Chiba Shun initially felt somewhat uncomfortable, but when he considered the identity of the sound's owner, he understood. It had to be the ANBU protecting the jinchuriki.

That was right. The owner of the sound was Killer B, who was giving a speech to a group of Ninja Academy children in a rap-like manner.

Well, perhaps Killer B believed he was holding a concert.

To be honest, without knowing Killer B's identity as a jinchuriki, the children found his rap quite interesting and listened happily.

Chiba Shun found it rather strange. Killer B had actually come to the Ninja Academy?

Were the higher-ups not afraid he would go berserk?

When Killer B saw Chiba Shun arrive, he showed no reaction. Instead, A walked over to him.

A pointed at Killer B and said, "This is the companion I mentioned. He is also skilled in swordsmanship. You two can exchange pointers later."

Chiba Shun nodded, then thought for a moment before saying, "The companion I mentioned is also in the village right now. Wait here a moment. I'll go call him over."

"Not long ago, he made a trip to the Land of Iron and has completely mastered the Four-Sword Style. He is currently studying the Five-Sword Style."

A hesitated for a moment, since Killer B's identity was special.

But then he considered that Killer B had already appeared at the Ninja Academy, so meeting one more ninja would not matter.

A short while later, Chiba Shun arrived at the training ground with Sakai Yushi.

By then, Killer B was still holding his concert.

A finally lost his patience, rushed forward, and punched Killer B straight off the stage.

Then, under the gaze of a group of little brats, everyone left the Ninja Academy.

A jinchuriki was about to spar with someone, so they could not remain at the Ninja Academy.

They came to a relatively secluded training ground in the village and began their swordsmanship sparring.

Killer B's talent was indeed formidable. Just from hearing A describe Chiba Shun's swordsmanship, he had grasped the Four-Sword Style.

And he was even more proficient than Chiba Shun.

When Chiba Shun sparred with him in swordsmanship, it was practically one-sided. He was suppressed throughout the entire match.

There was no helping it. Killer B's swordsmanship had always been far stronger than that of Chiba Shun, an amateur who had only recently become a Chunin.

Killer B had also mastered sword aura, though he did not use it while fighting Chiba Shun.

Chiba Shun's talent was not bad, but there was still a gap between him and a top-tier genius like Killer B.

Moreover, Chiba Shun knew that his talent for taijutsu was not as good as his talent for ninjutsu.

He had studied and developed swordsmanship because he could not learn suitable ninjutsu in Kumogakure.

Ever since obtaining Konoha's ninjutsu, Chiba Shun had clearly spent more time on ninjutsu than swordsmanship.

Chiba Shun could clearly sense that his progress in ninjutsu was far faster than his progress in swordsmanship.

Left with no choice, Sakai Yushi had to take the field.

Sakai Yushi was far stronger than Chiba Shun. He was already a Jonin, equal in strength to Killer B, who was also a Jonin.

Furthermore, his swordsmanship was no weaker than Killer B's current swordsmanship. His Four-Sword Style—or rather, Five-Sword Style—was even more proficient than Killer B's.

The battle between them could be called evenly matched.

They fought back and forth for a long time, and judging by their expressions, both of them were thoroughly enjoying themselves.

A kept watching Killer B, worried that the Eight-Tails inside him might go berserk.

Killer B had expended a little too much chakra today.

Bringing Killer B into the village had been approved by the Third Raikage.

The previous Eight-Tails jinchuriki had changed Kumogakure's method of raising jinchuriki.

Jinchuriki needed warmth. They needed contact with other people.

Thus, Killer B could occasionally come to the village, though his seal had to be carefully inspected beforehand.

Chiba Shun's focus, however, was elsewhere. He was observing the two men's swordsmanship.

Both of them seemed to be at a critical threshold.

Suddenly, Chiba Shun said, "With Multi-Sword Style, since there are not enough hands and feet, you have to make use of the momentum of thrown blades."

"One sword, or even several swords, can remain in the air at all times."

"You can use the blades in the air by striking or kicking them."

"You also need to constantly adjust your footwork according to where the airborne blades will land."

Upon hearing Chiba Shun's words, the two people who were fighting enthusiastically immediately began trying it.

They each threw a sword toward the other.

At the same time, they controlled the airborne long blades by either kicking them or striking them with the long swords in their hands.

At that moment, Killer B's talent became apparent.

He had only mastered the Four-Sword Style and had not yet begun practicing the Five-Sword Style.

Yet as the two continued sparring, he actually became the first to master the Five-Sword Style.

Moreover, Chiba Shun could tell that he still wanted more.

After thinking for a moment, Chiba Shun threw one of his swords toward Killer B.

"Fool, you came at just the right time! Join in too—we'll make it one against two!" Killer B rapped as he caught Chiba Shun's long sword, inviting Chiba Shun to join them at the same time.

Chiba Shun smiled and joined the battle, coordinating with Sakai Yushi to fight Killer B.

He and Sakai Yushi worked together seamlessly, and before long, they suppressed Killer B, who was wielding six swords.

The sight made A's heart pound.

But Killer B was exhilarated.

The more he fought, the smoother his movements became. At first, only two long swords spun through the air, but later, three long swords left his body at once and would occasionally attack Chiba Shun and Sakai Yushi.

Sakai Yushi also became completely absorbed in the fight. Only today did he finally confirm that the sword style Chiba Shun had taught him was genuinely viable.

With Killer B's example before him, he believed that it would not be long before he too could wield six swords.

Clang, clang, clang, clang...

After everyone had fought for a long time, Killer B seemed to realize something. He suddenly exerted force, and the attack frequency of his six long swords increased by several degrees.

Chiba Shun was startled, because Killer B's target at that moment was him.

He hurriedly blocked while retreating.

Before long, Killer B had cut several wounds across his body.

Suddenly, with a clang, the long sword in Chiba Shun's hand was directly cut in two by Killer B.

Each of the five long swords Killer B used was no worse than Chiba Shun's long sword, which could conduct chakra to a certain extent.

This made Chiba Shun extremely envious. He did not know whether this was special treatment from the village for a jinchuriki.

Or perhaps A had given them to Killer B.

Of his own long swords, only one could directly contend with Killer B's blades. The others had not broken yet, but they had all developed chips.